By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

Both Vancleave and East Central have each won at least one state baseball championship over the past five years.
And both the Bulldogs and Hornets each got off to a solid start on the road in Region 4-5A play Tuesday night.
In Waynesboro, Vancleave starting pitcher Dane McElroy hurled a complete game, four-hit shutout as the Bulldogs nipped home-standing Wayne County 1-0 in the opening league contest for both teams.
McElroy, a versatile senior, multi-sport standout for VHS, struck out 11 in the process and allowed only one War Eagle base runner to reach third base and that didn’t come until the bottom of the sixth stanza.
Vancleave broke open a 0-0 deadlock in the top of the seventh, on Conner Mitchell’s two-out, RBI-single to center that plated Kyle Capers. Capers started the game-winning rally with a single two batters before Mitchell’s decisive hit.

The decision was a tough-luck loss for Wayne County starting pitcher Blaine Ainsworth, who also only allowed four hits in a complete game outing and struck out eight.
The Bulldogs moved to 8-5 overall with the win. The same two teams will meet in Vancleave Friday night, before reconvening in Waynesboro Saturday afternoon to wrap up the series.
Meanwhile, in Laurel, East Central toppled home-standing Northeast Jones 8-4 in the region-opener for both teams.
The Hornets, however, trailed the Tigers 4-3 entering the sixth inning before exploding for five runs to take the come-from-behind win.
Grant Vick smacked a solo home run to lead off that decisive at bat for ECHS, and Anthony Bonfiglio provided the big blast with a game-winning grand slam to end the scoring.

Vick also had a triple for ECHS, and Gage Damazio posted a pair of doubles.
Christian McFaul, one of three Hornet hurlers, earned the win.
The teams meet again in Hurley on Thursday before wrapping things up back in Laurel Friday night.
Perennial state power Purvis, one of the the two new members of the region this season, kept pace with the Hornets and bulldogs as the Tornadoes stopped Stone 5-3 Tuesday night.